Cast-metal railroad cross-tie.



G. W. SNYDER.

CAST METAL RAILROAD CROSS TIE.

m \IH wwimmrmfk w m 5% fi w x, w.

P b k w m a 2 NR Q 7 INVENTOR WITNESSES fzQ/ m THE NORRIS PETERS 50.. PHOTO LITHO., WASHINGTON. D C

e. w. S NYDER. CAST METAL RAILROAD CROSS TIE.

1,143,456. mucmon man 00125, 1912. Patented June 15, 1915- 2 SHEETS8HEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR MWJWMI iiNrrEn srA'rEs PATENT oEEroE.

GEORGE w. SNYDER, or PIT'rsRURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoR To HARRY E.

SHELDON, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAST-METAL RAILROAD CROSS-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 15, 1915.

Application filed October 5, 1912. Serial No. 724.097.

citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cast-Metal Railroad Cross-Ties, of which the following is a specification. 7

My invention relates to metal railroad eross-ties, and rail-fasteningdevices there- The principal object of my invention is to provide an all-cast metal railroad cross-tie having the metal distributed according to the requirements of its several parts.

By making the cross-tie of cast metal, I am able to arrange the metal exactly where it is needed and to dispense with metal where it is not needed. For instance, I arrange the metal mostly under the rails, the rail supports having between them a connector whose strength is merely such as is re- .quired to hold the rail supports together and to give the necessary beam strength.

Another object is to provide novel means to prevent the tie from moving in any direction, whether longitudinally, transversely or diagonally, and also vtoprevent the tie from rotating in the direction of trains moving on rails supported by them.

A still further object is to provide the tie with suitable rail fastening means of a novel character.

Other minor objects will appear hereinafter. 1

.Some of the features of my invention are I applicable to metal ties whether rolled, 1 forged, or otherwise made, and I do not restrict my invention to cast-metal unless the claims specify cast-metal. 7

Another object of my invention is to provide a satisfactory means of insulating the rails from the tie.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of one end of a tie made according to my invention; Fig. 2, a plan of the other end thereof; Fig. 3, aside view of Fig. 1 with a rail shown in section; Fig. 4, a side view of Fig. 2 with a rail in section; Fig. 5, a plan of the tie-plate shown on Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a side view of Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a plan of the tie-plate shown on Fig.2; Fig.

' 8, a side view of Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a plan of a insulating the tie-plate and bolt; Fig. 11, an elevation of the fastening 24; and Fig. 12, a plan view of Fig. 11.

The drawings illustrate only a few of the forms which my invention may assume. Although I shall describe the drawings minutely, I do not desire to be confined to the exact shape and arrangement of the various parts shown thereon, but desire to cover such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

On the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the end of rail-supporting portions of the crosstie, and 3, the connecting portion. The railsupporting portions have the elongated horizontal bases or flanges 4- which rest upon the ballast, and the connecting portion 3 has the horizontal flanges 5 substantially in line with the bases 4:.

6 is a vertical web extending centrally along the tie, preferably from end to end. The portion of the web between the rail seats is surmounted by the flanges 7 extending out at both sides'of the web, but these may be of different section from that shown or may be omitted altogether, making the section of the connecting portion of the tie,

in the shape of an inverted T. A portion of the web over each base 4 has the horizontal chair, bed, or seat 9, which consists of horizontal flanges extending laterally at both sides of the web 6. The seats 9 and the top flange 7 and the web 6 are supported by the ribs or stift'eners 10 but these may be supported differently from the manner shown or some of them may even be omitted.

The tie is designed so as to concentrate the metal where the vertical pressure is the greatest. The horizontal area of the bases 4: is made large enough to prevent the tie from being pressed into the ballast. The rail-supporting portions 9 are made considerably smaller both longitudinally and transversely than the bases 4. The center of the rail-supporting base 4 is not at the center of the rail, but the center of the said base is outside of or beyond the center of the rail, because the pressure due to a train is transmitted not only downwardly but also outwardly. For use with tracks on which the cars run in only one direction, I make (right-hand end of Fig. 1) the base 4 wider on that side of the web 6 or the seat 9 corresponding to the direction which the cars are to travel. Thus, if the cars are to travel eastwardly, I have the wider side of the base 4 on the easterly side of the web 6 or seat 9. By having the bases of the ties extend farther from the seats 9 in the direction of the traflic on the rails than in the opposite direction, I prevent the rotation of the ties by the action of trains.

The seat 9 shown on Fig. 7, has at each end a hook-like projection 11 overhanging 1 the same. Beneath each projection 11 is a vertical shoulder 12, the two shoulders being inclined toward each other, so as to form a wedge-shaped space between them to receive the wedge-shaped tie plate 13, which is slidbeneath the projection 11 with its tapered sides in engagement with the shoulders 12. The tie-plate 13 has at its outer side a hook-like portion 14 lying beneath, and held from vertical movement by the outer projection 11. The hook-like portion 14 overlies the outer flange 15 of the rail 16 and keeps the rail and tie from coming entirely apart. It may fit the rail-flange tightly but preferably it will permit small vertical motion of the rail Without moving the tie. The inner side of the tie-plate has the upstanding rib 17 lying below the inner hook 11. A sheet 18 of insulating fiber or other insulating material lines the seat 9 and the inner faces of the hooks 11 and the shoulders 12 to prevent the passage of electric current between the tie and tie-plate. The tie-plate 13 is held inplace by the wedges 19 which pass down through the tieplate 18,'the sheet 18 and the seat 9, the wedges being insulated from the tie-plate by suitable insulating material 20. The tieplate 13 has its rear corners removed to accommodate the pins 19 which produce pressure against the shoulders 21 to hold the tieplate firmly in the position shown on Fig. 1. The Wedges 19 may be held in place by cotter pins 22 in holes therein below the seat 9.

The rail 16 has its'inner flange 23 pro vided with a removable fastening 24: having a vertical body 25 in the slot 26 in the tieplate' 13. The ends of the body 25 have horizontal arms 27 and 28 at right angles to each other. The arm 27 overhangs the flange 23 while the arm 28 lies beneath the sheet 18 to prevent the upward movement of the fastening. The slot 26 has its con tral portion enlarged so that when the arm 28 has been passed below the sheet 18, the square body 25 of the fastening may be rotated so as to bring the arm 27 over the rail-flange and the arm 28 out of alinement with the slot. The end of the slot next to the rail flange 23 is made with parallel sides to fit the sides of the body 25 and prevent the rotation of the fastener when m use.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Washington, D. 0.

The wedge 29 is inserted in the slot 26 between the outer side of the fastener 24 and the inner face of the rib 17. The wedge prevents any movement of the fastener when in use and takes up automatically any looseness of the fastener. A cotter pin 30 may be passed through the wedge below the seat 9 to retain the same in place. The wedge and the fastener are in a large slot 31 in the seat 9 so as to be out of engagement with any portion of the seat 9 to prevent the passage of current between the tie and the rail.

The tie-plate 13 on the left hand seat 9 has parallel, instead of tapered, sides which lie between the parallel shoulders 12 The tie-plate is held in place by one or more bolts 32 which pass through holes in the seat 9, the insulating sheet 18 and the end of the tie-plate. The bolts are insulated from the seat 9 by the bushing 33 of insulating material.

The sliding of. the tie on the ballast longitudinally, diagonally, or transversely is prevented so far as may be necessary by pro viding hemispherical, cylindrical, pyramidal, wedge-shaped or other projections 34 which are cast integrally with the tie and projectfrom the bottom of the base 4 into the ballast. j

The form of the top flanges of my tie need not be as shown, and the stiffening ribs may be differently arranged, and by differently distributing the metal, they might be dispensed with. 7

It is seen that, by making my tie of cast metal, I may design the same of various shapes and sizes in its different parts, which I could not do by rolling or forging. By using only the required amount of metal in the different parts of my tie I am able to use a minimum amount of metal, thereby reducing the cost greatly as compared with improperly proportioned ties.

I claim 1. A metal rail-tie having a base, and a rail-seat supported by the base and above the same, the base having greater width at one side of the seat.

2. A metal rail-tie having a base, and a rail-seat supported by the base and above the same, the base extending from the seat a greater distance in the direction of traflic on the rails supported by the tie than in the other direction.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 21st day of September, A. D. 1912.

GEORGE W. SNYDER.

l/Vitnessesz ALICE E. DUFF, F. BARBER.

Patents, 

